Reykjavík Airport

This article is about the domestic airport. For Reykjavík's international airport, see Keflavík International Airport.

Reykjavík Airport Reykjavíkurflugvöllur
IATA: RKV ICAO: BIRK
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Isavia
Serves	Reykjavík, Iceland
Elevation AMSL	44 ft / 14 m
Coordinates	64°07′48″N 021°56′26″W
Website	isavia.is
Map
RKV/BIRK Location of Airport in Iceland
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 01/19 1,566 5,140 Asphalt 13/31 1,230 4,034 Asphalt
Statistics
Passengers (2018) 400,044 Aircraft Movements (2018) 64,190
Sources: AIP Iceland Statistics: Isavia Aviation Fact File 2011

Reykjavík Airport (Icelandic: Reykjavíkurflugvöllur) (IATA: RKV, ICAO: BIRK) is the main domestic airport serving Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, located about two kilometres (1+1⁄4 miles) from the city centre.

Having shorter runways than the city's larger international airport Keflavík International Airport, which is sited 50 kilometres (30 mi) out of town, it only serves internal flights within Iceland and to Greenland, small international charters, transatlantic ferry flights and private flights. It can also serve as alternate airport for flights inbound towards Keflavík, in case of adverse weather conditions there. To distinguish from the larger Keflavík International Airport outside Reykjavík, it is sometimes unofficially in English called Reykjavik City Airport (also by the airport administration), and also Reykjavik Domestic Airport, but also Reykjavík international Airport because it has some international flights but mostly domestic ones.

Reykjavík Airport is the main hub of Eagle Air and the domestic hub of Icelandair, and it currently has two runways (as of 2020). Reykjavík Airport is owned and operated by the state enterprise Isavia.

History

Hawker Hurricane aircraft at RAF Reykjavik during World War II

The first flight from the airport area was 3 September 1919, with the takeoff of an Avro 504, the first aeroplane in Iceland. Until 1937, there were experiments with airline operations in Vatnsmýri, but with the foundation of Iceland's oldest airline, Flugfélag Akureyrar (now Icelandair) in Akureyri in 1938, operations began in the area and in March 1940 scheduled flights started when Flugfélag Akureyrar moved its hub from Akureyri to Reykjavík (and changed its name to Flugfélag Íslands).

The current airport was built by the British Army during World War II on the south coast of the Reykjavík peninsula. Construction began in October 1940, when the airport had only a grass surface. The Black Watch regiment built the first runway, constructing it over sunken oil barrels. The British Royal Air Force operated from the airport, then named RAF Reykjavik, from March 1941. On 6 July 1946, the British handed the airport operation over to the Icelandic government and since then it has been operated by the Icelandic Civil Aviation Authority (now Flugstoðir).

Renovation of the airport started in 2000 and lasted two years. This was followed by a referendum in 2001, with 49.3% of the votes for moving the airport out of the city centre, and 48.1% votes for it remaining in place until 2016, when the current urban plan expires. The outcome of these elections on the other hand was not binding because election participation was under 40% and the left wing majority made the decision to have such a clause for it to be binding and beyond that because these elections were not held properly in respect to certain legal technicalities that also resulted in no option for non-election day voting (for vacationers for example).

After renovation, the width of runways 01/19 and 13/31 are 45 m and 06/24 is 30 m, with visual approach for runways 01 and 31, while runway 19 has ILS CAT I/NBD-DME approach and runway 13 has LLZ-DME/NDB-DME approach. The lights for the runways were updated with LIH Wedge for all runways. 06/24 is permanently closed and being used as a taxiway, as of 2020.

Future

The city has grown around the airport and it is now located in the western part of the city. This location is considered inconvenient by many, for noise pollution and safety reasons and because it takes up a lot of otherwise useful area near downtown areas. There is an ongoing debate about the future of the airport, with the three options being:

• leaving the airport as it is
• demolishing the airport and building a new airport elsewhere in the Reykjavík area
• demolishing the airport and moving all flight services to Keflavík International Airport

In 2001 there was a local referendum in Reykjavik on the matter, keep Reykjavík Airport at present location or move air traffic elsewhere within 15 years, where the result was fairly equal but a small overweight (49.3% against 48.1%) for moving the traffic. However the turnout was only 37% and referendum was local, and Reykjavík Airport does remain both 15 and 20 years after 2001.

Terminals

There are two terminals located on different sides of the runway area:

• The main terminal (64°7′54″N 21°56′47″W) handles traffic for Icelandair and Norlandair
• A smaller terminal (64°7′46″N 21°55′59″W) which serves flights for Eagle Air

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Eagle Air	Húsavík, Höfn
Icelandair	Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Ísafjörður, Kulusuk, Nuuk Seasonal: Ilulissat, Narsarsuaq, Vestmannaeyjar
Norlandair	Bíldudalur, Gjögur

Other facilities

Icelandair Group and Icelandair have a head office at the airport. Isavia also have their head offices on the airport property. When Loftleiðir was in operation, its head office was at the airport.

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at RKV airport. See Wikidata query.

Ground transportation

There are some local city buses at both terminal buildings. BSÍ is a major bus terminal, located 1.6 km (1.0 mi) from the main airport terminal. At the bus terminal, Strætó provides bus service to areas around Reykjavik while Gray Line Iceland Excursions' Airportexpress and Reykjavik Excursions Kynnisferðir's Flybus services connect between Keflavík International Airport and Reykjavik Airport.

When changing between domestic and international flights a 50 km bus transfer between Reykjavík Airport and Keflavík International Airport is usually needed, and at least three hours between flights is recommended.

Accidents and incidents

• On 27 December 1980, Douglas C-47B N54605 of Visionair International was damaged beyond repair in a storm at Reykjavik Airport.
• 3. august 1988. A CASA 212 Aviocar 200, belonging to the Canadian company Geoterrex crashed 900 metres short of the runway with the loss of the 3 Canadian scientists onboard. The crash was found to be a result of an incorrectly installed speeder spring in the right propeller governor. -During the ILS approach, the props on the right side suddenly went into a setting called "ground flat" (or possibly slightly into reverse). This gave a huge power difference between the left and the right engine.

External links

Media related to Reykjavík Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Reykjavík Airport at Isavia (in English)
• Reykjavík Airport at the Icelandic Civil Aviation Administration (in English)
• Reykjavík Airport at the Icelandic Civil Aviation Administration (in Icelandic)